Now that we’re heading into fall and then winter, jamming and canning are on a lot of people’s minds. Mine, too — it sure would be great to enjoy summer’s ripe fruits in January! I haven’t quite gotten up the nerve to jam or can full-tilt (although both are near the top of my to-do [...]
As a kid, I always liked marbled pound cakes and swirled cheesecakes. And two-toned frozen yogurts. Somehow, seeing two flavors intertwined on one plate (or in one cone) makes both of them doubly delicious. And you know what the best part is? It’s ridiculously easy to make marbled and swirled desserts — doing so usually [...]
Continue reading about Chocolate & Vanilla with a Berry Twist
In the world of natural sweeteners — i.e., unrefined sweeteners like maple syrup and molasses — there aren’t as many solid sweeteners as there are liquid ones. Normally, this works out fine when baking, because most baked goods include liquids (which allows you to tinker with the overall total amount of liquids), but some baked [...]
Continue reading about Creating Tasty & Healthy Chiffon Cakes (Amongst Other Things)
Top-notch eggs (i.e., eggs from hens who peck about in the dirt and eat bugs) are our best source of protein in terms of bioavailability and sustainability, plus they’re incredibly versatile from a culinary point of view. The only caveat is that you can easily overcook them and therefore make them tougher than you’d like [...]
Continue reading about Cherries, Custards, and Why Acidity Matters
The word “flour” seems like it has a solid definition: it’s white, it’s powdery, and it’s made of wheat. Fortunately, though, while those descriptions apply to all-purpose white flour, all-purpose white flour is only ONE kind of flour. (And it’s a stripped-out, tasteless one at that.) There are plenty of other flours that can be [...]
Continue reading about Nuts + Grains + Carrots = A Tasty Quickbread
When it comes to most things in life, I think it’s safe to say that the difference between “failure” and “success” is largely a matter of perception. This philosophy is certainly true in the kitchen! It’s even more true when it comes to baking — you never know when breads won’t rise or muffins will [...]
I can’t be sure about this, but I’m guessing Italian panzanella sprang out of that greatest of all culinary traditions: using up the leftovers. After all, who hasn’t grown up hearing “waste not, want not”? The original Tuscan recipe calls for making a caprese salad — tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, red wine or balsamic vinegar, [...]
I don’t know about you, but when I find an exciting new (to me) ingredient, I like to drop it into as many culinary settings as I can to see what happens. Some ideas, like my “let’s make hot chocolate with red wine instead of milk!” notion, though, are rather ill-fated. Random combinations are not [...]
